CryoTherapeutics Commences ICECAP Trial of Localized Cryotherapy for CAD

July 27, 2026—CryoTherapeutics, based in Liège, Belgium, announced the treatment of the first patient in its ICECAP clinical trial of the company’s investigational cryotherapy system.

According to the company, patient recruitment in the trial is active and will expand to up to five centers across Belgium and the United Kingdom in the coming month.

CryoTherapeutics stated that the ICECAP study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of localized cryotherapy (-10 to -20°C) applied to nonobstructive, high-risk coronary plaques identified through a multimodal imaging strategy combining noninvasive and invasive technologies, while also assessing changes in fibroatheroma cap thickness over time. The trial seeks to determine if localized cryotherapy can help stabilize vulnerable coronary plaques before they lead to myocardial infarction.

As summarized in the company’s press release, patients in the study are screened using coronary CT imaging and AI-enabled plaque characterization tools to identify high-risk plaque features. During the procedure, intravascular imaging, including near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and optical coherence tomography (DeepOCT), is used to further confirm high-risk plaque morphology and guide treatment. Follow-up imaging will assess biological response to cryotherapy over time.

“We are in a new phase of the detection and treatment of high-risk plaques,” commented Carlos Collet, MD, in the company’s press release. “In the ICECAP study, we are combining state-of-the-art plaque assessment with a novel therapy to stabilize vulnerable plaques.” Dr. Collet is Director of Cardiovascular Imaging, Physiology, and Translational Therapeutics at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF).

CryoTherapeutics noted that ICECAP brings together a multidisciplinary ecosystem of clinical, imaging, and data science collaborators, including CRF, HeartFlow, and Medis Medical Imaging, who will contribute expertise spanning intravascular imaging, coronary CT analysis, quantitative image analysis, AI-assisted plaque assessment, and cardiovascular clinical research.